To steer clear of extreme stress and burnout, you will need to learn to balance your job search with the rest of life. A consistent and focused job search that sets an even pace is more effective in the long run than short bursts of interviewing and job hunting activity.
The former leads to successful work and life integration; the latter creates impatience, intolerance and unwanted opportunities to make mistakes and career damaging moves.
Many job seekers are acutely aware that their lives are out of balance. A job search that is undertaken because of job loss has its own set of stressors. There’s a tendency to rush into the search without taking time to get perspective on what to look for, who to contact and how to proceed.
So, what should a job seeker do to keep the search for employment from getting out of control?
- Make the time, expend the effort, and take the necessary steps to develop a realistic job search plan.
- Monitor your time and coordinate energy and efforts to keep from falling into the busyness trap. Take advantage of time-saving shortcuts and technology to ease the burden of a full-time job search.
- Get help from people you believe are willing to provide tangible support during the job search. You can’t succeed as a one-person show.
